Rob Green: ”I never knew how the outside world worked”

Still unsure of what to do in his life after football, Green spent the last few years of his career getting a degree in business management. However, once he completed the degree, the former goalkeeper wasn’t any closer to finding his new calling. ‘’I always had different ideas of what I might want to do. But I just never really understood how the outside world worked. When you’re in football, it’s just a different world.’’

During his final season at Chelsea, Green became certain that a career in football management wasn’t for him as he paid close attention to the workload coaches take on. ‘’It just reaffirmed to me that I didn’t want to go into coaching.’’ 

Co-commentating

After his career, the Englishman took some time away and prioritized other aspects of life. However, his love for the game ultimately led him to become a co-commentator. ‘’I had other considerations. I have a family. I love spending time with my kids and watching them grow. That last year at Chelsea, I lived away from home. We worked out that I had six days off in the season. I just didn’t get to see my family.’’ 

‘’I love the nature of live television,’’ said Green. ‘’I did try doing what Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards do in the studio. But it just wasn’t something that resonated with me as strongly. There is a special kind of skill set to that, where you need to bring your own personality and you bounce off each other.’’ 

Carragher encouraged Green to go into co-commentating. ‘’He told me it was the closest you can get to playing. Because you’ve got to think on your feet, point out why something is good, and you’ve got to nail it. You’ve got to trust your instincts. Trust that you know the game. In a sense, it’s thrilling, because you’re living off the game.’’ 

Big hug

‘’I always want to bring a human element to my commentary,’’ Green said. ‘’These are young lads playing the game that just so happen to be brilliant at football. Sometimes it feels like a dad watching their kid. You just want to give them a big hug. It’s horrible at times. But that’s football.’’ 

While co-commentating can be stressful at times as you try not to humiliate yourself on live television, Green is used to way worse. ‘’It’s not as stressful as playing, I can tell you that. In the end, you just have to forget about the people watching or listening at home, and look at it like you’re sat watching the game and talking to your mate. That’s how you do it.’’